Chess
by Tenri Kage
Summary: Ren contemplates his friends as he sets up a chessboard. Why is chess such an important game in his family? Ren-centric with a RenxPirika scene near the end. Hints of YohxAnna and HoroxTamao. Random oneshot.


Umm...I was thinking about chess (I'm an amateur, but I really love the game) and I remembered my instructor saying that of all the chess pieces, though the king was the most important, the queen was the most powerful. It got me thinking about Yoh and Anna. Mostly Ren-centric, since he's the one who's donig the contemplation, but there's hints of YohxAnna, HoroxTamao, and of course, a RenxPirika scene near the end. Please enjoy!

Tenri Kage

Chess

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Black and white marble figurines scattered over the chessboard. A sigh escaped the Tao's lips as he started tidying the pieces. As he had expected, Pirika's latest attempts to teach her brother the joys of chess were still going rather badly. Rubbing his fingers against the smooth top of a pawn, he had to let his lips curve into a subtle smile. To his family, chess would always be a lovers' game. He could remember his stubborn protests at his own sister's determination to teach him the complex European game. Arguing against it all those years ago had done nothing to dampen his sister's ardor of the game. He could remember her words clearly as he aligned all the white pawns.

"To the Tao Clan, chess is not merely a game. It is twofold. Chess is like the shaman world. There are pawns, weak and insignificant though they might be, those that survive their battles become something greater. There are castles, which see everything in this world as straight lines. There are bishops that counter these castles and are more flexible to the player's demands. There are knights, which are strong pieces when played right. And there is the king and queen…the most important and powerful pieces of the game. But to the Tao Clan, chess is also a lover's game." Ren's subtle smile became a deeper grin as he repeated his sister's words. He rearranged the black pawn on the other side of the board.

"To the Tao Clan, chess is also a lover's game." It was hard to believe, but true. Ever since the game had been introduced into the family, if a Tao played chess against someone outside of family and of the opposite gender for the first time, love somehow seemed to bloom, be fostered, and grow. Even his mother had fallen in love with his father during an intense game of chess. Hence his sister's insistence that he learn how to play. The quiet smile was back. He had been unable to refuse as Jun patiently instructed him on the basics and then the finer points of the game. Who would have guessed that the first person outside of family and of the opposite gender that she would play chess with would be Li Pyron.

Ren collected up the castles first, working from the outside of the line of more powerful pieces. Castles always reminded him of Horohoro and Pirika. They could only move horizontally and vertically over the chessboard, in straight lines. It was like the way the two of them were: straight, clear-cut, as though the world was black and white. Like chess pieces. He placed each castle at the corners of the board. _Castles move straight. Like Horohoro. Like Pirika._

Next, Ren picked up the four knights and placed them a little more to the inside of the castles. Knights reminded him of himself. He had changed much over the years, but like a knight piece on a chessboard, he was liable to jumping over other pieces to reach his goals. Knights made up the best fighters of the board, being the only ones who could jump over other pieces and didn't travel in a straight line. Ren palmed a black marble knight in his hand. "Knights are used by professionals and amateurs alike for killing other pieces." Jun's voice floated back over the years to him again. _Knights are warriors. Like me._

The bishops were next, arranged neatly on the board by careful hands. Tamao always reminded him of bishops. Not only placed physically close to the king and queen on the board, Tamao had the closest relationship to Yoh and Anna, the real Shaman King and Queen. As a student of Mikihisa, Yoh's father, she had lived at the Asakura estate with them both as a child. Moreover, the bishop's diagonal moves complimented the castle's horizontal and vertical lines; a lot like Horohoro and Tamao. She was more yielding, and saw things differently from others, like the way bishops moved. Bishops were flexible pieces, best for closing perimeters in a battle. _Bishops are flexible. Like Tamao._

Ren placed the black queen on her proper square, but kept the white one in his hands, twirling the finely crafted piece contemplatively. Anna was a queen. Besides being Shaman Queen and soon-to-be wife of Asakura Yoh, current Shaman King, she was just like a queen chess piece. Ren had long ago learned from his sister, who had told him while smirking slyly, that, while the king was the most important piece of the board, the queen was the most powerful. It was the same way with Anna. No matter that Yoh was the most important person in the Shaman world, Anna was the most powerful. Not only did she mercilessly train and culture Yoh into his place as the leader of the Shaman world, but she held sway on his heart as well. Had Anna not loved Yoh as completely as she did, Ren would have been more than worried. _Queens are powerful. Like Anna._

_But of course, queens are nowhere near as important as kings. _The king is the most important piece on the board because the objective is to kill the king. Ren smiled deviously as he twirled the piece in his hands. Kings moved only one square, but that one square was moved only when necessary. _Like making an important decision._ A king might seem like a weak piece on the board, but it was so important and did not move much in the average game. Yoh, the Shaman King, was very much like that. He was undeniably lazy if his fiancée and soon-to-be wife did not force him into training, but in more ways than one, he was the most important person in the shaman realm. _The king is important. Like Yoh._

Footsteps alerted him of a visitor. Placing the white king in his proper square, Ren turned around as Pirika entered the room, her arms crossed in annoyance. "Did you catch Horo or did he manage to hide someplace?" Ren questioned, fully knowing the answer.

"Baka onii-chan! All I'm trying to do is teach him how to play chess!" She pouted as she sat down opposite him. "To the Tao Clan, chess is a lover's game," she repeated to herself, her lips curling into a smile as she glanced up at him. "That might be, but somehow, something tells me, it ought to be 'To the Shaman Kingdom, chess is a lover's game.' I got Yoh to confess his feelings for Anna while he taught her chess, and I'll do the same for my pig-headed onii-chan if that's what it takes for him to confess to Tamao." Pirika shot up out of her seat in the midst of her passionate speech of love when a low chuckle greeted her ears.

"Ren-kun!"

"G-gomen ne Pirika-chan," he said around his laughter. He was surprised at how the apology slipped out so easily. Chalking it up as the effect his girlfriend of five years had on him, he went back to placating her ruffled emotions. "It's just that you're very kawaii when you get all caught up in something."

A pink blush swept over Pirika's cheeks and she remained silent as she stood by his side. Then, smiling lightly she moved to stand behind him, her arms resting lightly on his shoulders and under his chin. Ren kissed the smooth ivory of her wrists in a loving gesture. Pirika retaliated by nibbling lightly on the tip of his ear. "So," she whispered, warm breath tickling his skin, "would you like to play a game of chess?" She could feel him tense as she lay sweet kisses along his neck as she begged for a round of her favorite game.

Ren stifled a groan and turned his head so that her next kiss landed on his lips. Neither pulled away for the long moment that they shared in the kiss. "You like chess that much?" he teased, knowing full well the answer to his question.

"Just as much as I like you," she retorted as she plopped down on the seat across from him cheerfully.

"You just like me?" Ren asked, giving his voice a fake, watery quaver that he knew Pirika would see through right away.

"No you baka, I love you, now play with me!" his blue-haired girlfriend demanded, slapping her hand down on the table.

Chess pieces scattered over the chessboard.

"Oops…"

Ren could feel his hair beginning to vibrate. "Ne Pirika-chan, did this happen when you played with Horohoro?"

Pirika laughed nervously. "H-hai…gomen ne R-ren-kun…" She reached down to pick up a white bishop that had managed to fall to the floor when a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her up. A squeak of surprise escaped her as lips as she felt herself pulled up against Ren's chest. A strong arm wrapped around her waist as warm, slightly callused fingers traced her cheek. Her face flushed a dark red and she could feel his chuckle vibrate through their bodies.

"It's fine," he told her quietly, a smirk playing about his lips as his eyes darkened from their clear amber gaze to something richer. "There are, after all," he whispered as the fingers tracing her cheek shifted to feather over her pale neck, "better things than playing chess." He leaned down for a kiss.

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Review please! Review onegashimasu! I find myself falling in love with RenxPirika stories...hehe...

Tenri Kage


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